Vale Tokin Blackman"He always had the licks, just never the poses. James Paull – Jock to nearly everyone – was one of very few who could say "I spent a year composing in Amsterdam" and not sound like he was on Radio National. Ron Hitler Barassi ..

Oh crap. Now I'm going to go around singing "Everyone Has Had More Sex Than Me" tomorrow.

Does anybody else get that feeling? Ooooooooposted by danb at 9:47 PM on May 10, 2008

[For those who missed it, like me: this is an obituary thread. I thought the "periods" was some kind of gender-bending menstrual jab.]posted by grobstein at 9:51 PM on May 10, 2008

Me too, grobstein.

Oh, and I never heard of him.posted by yhbc at 9:53 PM on May 10, 2008

Sorry, I should have been more explanatory - I hadn't ever heard of him, so it's doubtful I would have ended up in here without the "gentlemen, start your periods" line, which did make it sound like he wasn't so much of a musician as - well, something else. Perhaps that line could be edited out?

Again, sorry for pooping in an obituary thread.posted by yhbc at 9:57 PM on May 10, 2008

Of course you would have picked that up if you read the background before you commented.posted by strawberryviagra at 10:04 PM on May 10, 2008

They were a great band.

I remember one Saturday night in the Club on Smith Street in Collingwood, maybe '91 or '92.

It was late and the crowd was thinning. All of a sudden a Scottish pipe band ascended the stairs and marched into the club playing a stirring Scottish pipe band tune. The lined up across the sage, finished playing and TISM bounded in and gave us a couple of great surprise sets.

Intrigued after catching Defecate on my face on a late night music show, I went to see them at the Paddo RSL. The whole set was a surreal scene of mayhem - stage diving, mosh pit violence, costumes and a team of debaters at the rear of the stage. Bloody brilliant!posted by tellurian at 11:35 PM on May 10, 2008

Can anyone explain what's going on in that story about watching the young woman fill up her car? I'm a little baffled. Also, he played guitar with one hand, rolling cigarettes with the other?

Not to derail from the sadness of his passing, of course, but that's a rather strange obituary.posted by AmbroseChapel at 11:46 PM on May 10, 2008

This is a shame, as I've just discovered the band via the YewToobs - on the one hand, trite and silly and derivative, on the other, incredibly gifted and original. The videos for "What Are Ya?", "Everyone Else has Has More Sex Than Me", "Greg, The Stop Sign" and "(He'll Never Be An) Old Man River" are mind-blowingly good and funny as anything. Their vocalist has one hell of a set of pipes on him, and the guitar work is pure punk rock - "Tokin Blackman" brought a lot to the band's sound. I don't think there's another band out there who does such a deft mix of anger, humor and original, worthwhile music.

Ambrose - that'd be irony... the obviously overwhelming cock/petrol bowser references deadpanned into oblivion.posted by strawberryviagra at 12:53 AM on May 11, 2008

Budding lyricists should note:

Two fart jokes for the punters and one smart one for the crits
Don't Get stuck with washing costumes and the other boring bits
Then sit back and eat your breakfast right off that hooker's tits
Two fart jokes for the punters and one smart one for the crits!

Oh good another rock star has just been discovered dead
"There's a lyric in it somewhere" The manager's rung and said
Get more pissed than your audience and then jump on their heads
Two fart jokes for the punters and one smart one for the crits!

Wait for the latest producer to create the bleeps and blurps
That nowadays is our music, then scream "fuck" till it hurts
Thank god that recording's over... muso's are fucking jerks
Two fart jokes for the punters and one smart one for the crits!

Stuck for a lyric? Put "cunt" in / Stuck for a dance move? Jump.
Stuck for a target? Ray Martin, Stuck for a ....ummm... ahhh.. Cunt.
It's as easy as critics say: That's why they're not out the front.posted by strawberryviagra at 1:02 AM on May 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Seen TISM more recently at Earthcore (outdoor techno festival) where there were awesome, played in a sweltering tent to ravers who enjoyed getting the piss taken out of them, while the singer stripped down to nothing but his mask.
Also saw one of there early sets at the PrinceOfWales in the late 80s where they were also awesome. though they came on an hour late and my mate tried to hit the singer when he stage dived.. they were also great then.
RIP JOCKposted by zog at 1:45 AM on May 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Australian friend of mine introduced me to TISM a while ago... total bloody genius.
I'll mourn him in my IRA-style balaclava
.posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:41 AM on May 11, 2008

played in a sweltering tent to ravers who enjoyed getting the piss taken out of them, while the singer stripped down to nothing but his mask

The heat has nothing to do it, that's just their thing. I've seen them seven or eight times and they always end up nekkid.

Do they all have to die before we get to see what they actually look like?

Hah that was exactly my thought too Ubu! Uh - their faces I mean, I've seen most of the rest of them. Do they have to die before they can come out as members of TISM?

Anyway - . Thanks for the laughs, Tokin.posted by goo at 3:41 AM on May 11, 2008

'Gentlemen start your periods' clued me in that it was an obit thread, but I never heard of him.posted by fixedgear at 5:05 AM on May 11, 2008

I'm on the drug, I'm on the drug
I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix

I saw his body thrashing 'round
I saw his pulse rate going down
I saw him in compulsive throws
I said "I'll have one of those"

Hilary had, Hilary had
Hilary had it in his veins

Hilary had Everest in his veins
Armstrong did moon, was not the same
Heroes explore to give us hope
River pushed back the envelope

Can't believe I'd never heard of them before now; I usually love this kind of stuff. Thanks for this.

Of course you would have picked that up if you read the background before you commented.

Also of course, it's not that hard to explain in the post itself what the post is about. "Guitarist for Aussie shock-rock band TISM dead," that sort of thing.posted by mediareport at 8:07 AM on May 11, 2008

Some people just don't get, and probably never will - that is why TISM exists for the rest of us.posted by strawberryviagra at 4:04 PM on May 11, 2008

Kill all the flag-waving, red-blooded, young Yankee boys
String up their torsos and use their dicks as toys
Nuke every US city, blow them to the sky
Every single fucking yank deserves to fucking die

Then get all the mothers and every apple pie
And gun them down with M-16s, aim 'em at their eyes
Round up every US citizen, all except for Jews
Take that lot to Israel and wipe that lot out too

And then get all the Vietnamese that were napalmed to death
And everyone from El Salvadore and Cuba and Chile and the rest
And say "look the yanks are gone, the world is once again free.
No more napalm, no more CIA, no more Wounded Knee"

And when they are all celebrating... nuke the fucking lot
And there'll be lots of jellied gasoline in every babies cot
And then load an M-16, give it plenty of feeling,
Put it to your temple, blow your brains onto the ceiling

Seen TISM more recently at Earthcore (outdoor techno festival) where there were awesome, played in a sweltering tent to ravers who enjoyed getting the piss taken out of them, while the singer stripped down to nothing but his mask.

I was there! I seem to remember him also climbing the marquee in a highly dangerous and somewhat illegal fashion, only to lose his grip and come crashing down into the crowd along with a bunch of dislodged lighting equipment. He got straight back on stage, what a champ.

They were also frisbeeing out big placards with their song lyrics on them as they sang. My freind was fast enough to get one with "GREG, THE STOP SIGN!" on it. Fucking bastard.posted by Thoth at 11:35 PM on May 11, 2008

http://jovialfellow.blogspot.com/2008/05/jock-cheese-alive-well.html

Just a clarification: Tokin' Blackman and Jock Cheese are different people. The man who was known as Tokin' was apparently known as Jock to his friends.

Yes, this is all a bit confusing, but isn't that basically what a member of TISM would want above all else anyway?posted by DoctorFedora at 6:13 AM on May 12, 2008

TISM are shit. That's one of their song titles in fact, and a constant theme through their work since the early 80s. Self-loathing fuckwits like me know that, deep in the essence of their music, is a nihilistic wilderness, and anyone that buys into the whole package has been drinking the Kool-Aid.

I've punched Ron-Hitler Barassi, with his blessing, just to feel his pain.posted by wilful at 8:51 PM on May 13, 2008 [2 favorites]

Ah well. Denial works for me.posted by Jimbob at 2:07 PM on May 14, 2008

« Older An unbiased, informative site for heated issues | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Newer »

Tags

Share

About MetaFilter

MetaFilter is a weblog that anyone can contribute a link or a comment to. A typical weblog is one person posting their thoughts on the unique things they find on the web. This website exists to break down the barriers between people, to extend a weblog beyond just one person, and to foster discussion among its members.